


Give

by Icecat62



Category: due South
Genre: F/M, Family, Gen, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-22
Updated: 2014-09-22
Packaged: 2018-02-18 08:15:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2341361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Icecat62/pseuds/Icecat62
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fraser explains why it's good to give.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Give

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted to RedSuitsYou@egroups.com.

Sitting at the table laden with food, Fraser suppressed a smile as he looked around the room. Dinner with the Vecchio’s was always a bit loud, but it was also entertaining.

He never wanted to admit to Ray that he was beginning to get use to the yelling and squabbling. It reminded him of his visits to far off lodges and taverns where the clientele was less educated in the ways of book learning, but were far superior in the knowledge of living.

Eating a forkful of roast, he carefully chewed it, savoring its delicate flavor. Mrs. Vecchio, or Ma as she insisted he call her, had a way with food that he had never seen matched.

If he were a betting man, which he wasn’t, he would have bet his father’s cabin that she could even make shoe leather edible.

He must have had a look of pleasure on his face because she now looked across the table at him and smiled. Picking up the platter loaded with more of the meat, she held it out to him.

“Would you care for more Benton?”

Swallowing the bit of meat in his mouth, he held a hand up, knowing it was fruitless to do what he was about to do. “No thank you, Mrs…Ma. I believe that this is quite enough.”

“Pah! You are too skinny. You need to eat more!”

Stabbing a large slab of roast, she placed it on his plate and smiled again.

Looking at the slice, he knew he couldn’t refuse. It was on his plate and it would be rude to not eat it. That and the fact that he could have eaten two or three more pieces of the tender beef was another reason. “Um…thank you kindly.”

*************************

Dinner continued on, then Fraser found himself being ushered away from the table as always. Ma would never let company, even if she called them family, help with clearing the table. She along with Frannie and Maria were left to the task.

He spent the remainder of the evening relaxing in the living room, talking with Ray, watching television and trying to pretend that he didn’t like Frannie’s flirting when in fact it was all he could do to not take her out onto the back porch and kiss the teasing smile from her lips.

When it came time for him to leave, Ma had Frannie bring a large paper sack to him.

“Ma said you need to eat better, so…” Smiling she held the bag out to him.

“Francesca, I really can’t...”

“Frannie.”

“Pardon?”

“Call me, Frannie.”

Ray, who stood by the door, rolled his eyes. “How about you get back to the kitchen and leave Fraser alone for five seconds?”

“Oh shut up Ray! Ma just wanted to make sure he didn’t go home empty handed.”

“He does have food at home or haven’t you thought about that?”

“Ma said to give it to him, it wasn’t my idea!”

Ray’s voice was dry. “Yeah right.”

Seeing a typical Ray, Frannie argument building, Fraser decided he’d put a stop to it. And what better way to sidetrack them? An Inuit story. It worked like a charm every time.

“You know Ray…this reminds me of an Inuit legend that I heard once while traveling on the outskirts of Povungnituk.”

“Here we go.” Ray’s muttered words almost made him laugh, but he pressed on with the tale knowing he had to keep the two from fighting.

“There once was this couple, Alikammiq and his wife, who were very hungry. They decided to visit a group of people who were well off. These people had an abundance of seal meat and knowing that if they visited the camp, the husband and wife would be fed and taken care of.”

Fraser kept his features schooled, but struggling in doing it. Between Ray rolling his eyes and muttering and Frannie’s staring at him as he spoke, he didn’t know how long he could keep from laughing.

“They ate, but they were not bothered with nor were they given any additional meat to take home with them. When the night came, the couple went outside and broke into the stores of seal meat. Leaving the village, they took with them a very large seal. You see, their own people back in their home village were hungry as well and because their hosts had not attended to their needs, they simply took the seal.”

He stared at the two siblings who now looked back at him blankly. Ray was the first to speak. “So what’s the moral of this? You feed someone and they have the right to steal more from you later? What kind of crap is that?”

Shaking his head no, Fraser smiled slightly. “No Ray. Even though the ‘couple’ was taken care of, their hosts didn’t bother to see to their further needs. To make sure that they wouldn’t go hungry later. They had, by Inuit custom, every right to that seal meat.”

He gestured at the sack of food that Frannie held.

“Your mother is much like the Inuit in that she always sees to her guests while they are here and then she sends them home with food, making sure that their needs are taken care of later.”

“So? Ma does that all the time. She’s always giving out leftovers.”

“Ray it’s not the idea of the food, it’s the fact that your mother knows what it means to give. She gives more than food when she sends a package home with a guest.”

Frannie mumbled under her breath, causing Fraser’s face to flush a light pink. “There’s something I’d like to give to you.”

Ray unfortunately heard her as well. “That’s enough! What is wrong with you?!”

“What?! I didn’t say anything!”

Stepping between the two, Fraser took the paper sack from Frannie’s hands and smiled. “Thank you kindly and please tell Ma that I said thank you as well.”

She immediately ignored Ray. Her face broke out into a wide smile. “Sure Fraser.”

Turning to Ray, he nodded his good night and quickly left the foyer, knowing that the argument that he had been hoping to quell was now going to be in full force.

As the door closed behind him, he could hear Ray yelling at Frannie. “I oughta’ give you a slap in the mouth! What is wrong with you?!”

Shaking his head, Fraser quickened his pace down the sidewalk as he clutched the sack in his hands. It was supposed to be better to give than receive, but in the case of Ma’s roast, receiving was a very good thing indeed.

END


End file.
